1915 U.S. Geological Survey Map of Alaska

Depicts the location of communication technologies in Alaska - including radio stations and telegraph lines!

This is a 1915 U.S. Geological Survey map of Alaska. The map depicts the territory of Alaska from the Bering Sea to the Yukon Territory and British Columbia in Canada and from the Arctic Ocean to the Gulf of Alaska and the Northern Pacific Ocean. Illustrating the state of communications in Alaska, army, navy, and commercial radio stations are noted. Army radio stations are circled in red, navy stations in green, and commercial stations in purple. Telegraph lines are depicted using red lines, one of which runs from Fort Simpson in British Columbia to Fort Egbert on the Alaskan border. Another, which is expressly labeled a military cable, runs under the Pacific to Sitka and from Sitka it goes in two directions: along the Alexander Archipelago to Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway, and under the Pacific to Cordova, Seward, and Valdez. From Valdez, the telegraph runs to the Nulato Wireless Station. Wireless stations along the telegraph lines are labeled, including Fairbanks. National forests are depicted using a heavy green border and diagonal lines, and bird reservations are noted by using thick purple lines, including the Yukon Delta Bird Reservation. The Aleutian Islands are depicted, from Unimak Island at the end of the Alaska Peninsula to Attu Island in the Near Islands. From Seguam Island to Attu, the Aleutians are illustrated in an inset map along the bottom border. All the Aleutian Islands had been designated as the Aleutian Islands Reservation. Numerous rivers are labeled, including the Yukon River and the Porcupine River. Mountain ranges and other physical features are also labeled, including Mt. McKinley. Elevations are provided as well. A key, explaining the different notations utilized on the map, is located in the upper-right corner.

This map was produced by the U.S. Geological Survey in 1915.

Cartographer

The United States Geological Survey (March 3, 1879 - present), commonly abbreviated USGS, is an American federal scientific bureau and civilian mapping agency within the Department of the Interior, established in Washington, D.C., and subsequently headquartered in Reston, Virginia. Congress created the Survey to classify public lands and investigate the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, replacing separate western investigations with a permanent scientific organization. Its first director, Clarence King (1842 - 1901), organized geological investigations and recruited experienced scientists and topographers from earlier federal surveys. Under his successor, John Wesley Powell (1834 - 1902), director from 1881 to 1894, topographic mapping expanded from support for individual geological investigations into a nationwide undertaking. Congressional authorization in 1882 to continue preparation of a geological map of the United States extended the Survey's work into the eastern states, while systematic topographic mapping received authorization in 1884. Henry Gannett (1846 - 1914), the Survey's chief geographer, helped establish enduring methods and standards for this work. Its topographic quadrangles represented terrain through contour lines alongside drainage, settlements, roads, and other features, furnishing a common geographic foundation for scientific investigation and practical land use. During the 20th century, the Survey's mapping evolved from field surveying and compilation toward aerial photography, photogrammetry, and digital geographic information systems. A formal program begun in 1947 to map the conterminous United States at 1:24,000 scale culminated in nationwide coverage in 1992, comprising more than 55,000 maps. The Survey also produced geological and thematic maps and assembled national geographic information. In 2009 it introduced US Topo, a digitally generated successor to its traditional topographic quadrangles. Its continuing cartographic work includes The National Map, digital topographic products, and public access to historical quadrangles, alongside broader investigations of water, ecosystems, mineral and energy resources, and natural hazards.   Further Details...

Condition

Very good. Wear along original fold lines. Closed tear extending one half inch into printed area professionally repaired on verso. Blank on verso.

References

OCLC 78148645.